Looking for You
by Thatonebookworm
Summary: Ever since her dad left, things have been calm and peaceful. According to her mom that is. But as she starts her journey and dark forces come out to play, Marlene Martin is going to learn that this goes much deeper than her fathers disappearing act years ago. With her friends and Pokemon by her side, Marlene will learn just who deserves her trust... the hard way.
1. Prologue

He knew they were coming for him.

It had been non-threatening at first. Letters finding their way to his workplace and home, men in dark clothing with an even darker disposition coming to visit his house. Yet over the course of a couple months, his life turned dark and suspicious. Looking over his shoulder became normal, making his Pokemon stay at home to protect his family became typical.

Oh, he knew they were coming for him.

So he prepared to leave on his own terms. He couldn't risk his family and as he stared at the sleeping form of his one-year-old daughter, he couldn't help but feel regret at the decision he was about to make. Stepping into the small room and up to the crib she was sleeping in, he took a moment to just look at her.

He had been shocked and honestly scared when he first found out his wife was pregnant. But now he couldn't imagine his life without the small bundle sleeping away as if her whole life weren't about to change. Smoothing her light- brown hair, so much like his own, he reached down into the one bag he planned on taking with him and pulled out three things.

One was a small, fire red and deep blue egg. It pulsed with a heat of its own and in the light flooding into the room from the door he had left cracked, he could see the sparkle it gave as if the whole thing were on fire. He placed it gently next to the sleeping child and tucked a blanket around it to keep it warm. The girl turned in her sleep as if magically drawn to it and wrapped a chubby arm around it, yawning widely before settling back down.

The next two things were of a much simpler nature, letters, each with a different name on it. The one reading _Marlene _was tucked under the egg for safe keeping, the much thicker one inscribed with _Sarah_ put on top of it. His wife would surely find it when she came for her daughter in the morning.

Leaning forward, he kissed the child on her forehead whispering, "Good luck, Princess. Be strong. One day I will come back for you, I promise."

After smoothing her hair one last time, he picked up his bag and walked out of the room. He stopped at the door and turned one last time to stare at her before softly closing the door.

There was one more thing to do though, before he could leave. Stepping outside, he closed and locked his front door behind him before pulling out a single Pokeball. There was a flash of bright red light and a Pidgeot stood perched on the ground, looking at him expectantly. _He is sure not going to expect this_, he thought grimly.

"Prince, I have a very important job for you," he said not meeting his Pokemon's eyes.

"Geot?" Prince said in confusion, tilting his head to one side in a questioning manner.

"I need you to stay here and protect them."

He had given extreme thought to who he would leave behind to protect his family. He couldn't leave behind just anyone, he needed someone who could stay out of sight and protect from afar and the woods surrounding his home would be perfect coverage for the bird Pokemon. This would be lonely, but he knew his strong-willed Pidgeot could handle it. Prince had been with him from the beginning and was one of the most reliable Pokemon he owned. If anyone could do it, Prince could.

But that didn't mean either one was fond of the idea. Prince made this immediately apparent as he fluffed up his feathers in indignation and seemed to swell in size, as if offended he wasn't going to protect the trainer he had been with for so long.

"Don't look at me like that!" he exclaimed now looking directly at Prince. "I can't leave Sam behind, and Bella and Homer are a package deal. You know that. Besides! None of them can protect from a distance like you can. You're the best protector I've got."

The Pidgeot still looked unconvinced. The man approached his Pokemon slowly and reached out to pet his head. Prince jerked away at first, unwilling to look at his trainer, but soon was leaning into the touch of his trusted friend.

"Hey, look at me. No seriously, look at me." He waited until the Pokemon had turned his head to look at him before continuing. "You've saved my life more than once. You're one of the only ones I trust with the lives more important to me than my own. Will you do this for me? Please?" He looked at Prince with wide eyes, trying to convey how important this was to him.

After a few moments in which the Pokemon opened and closed its beak several times, it finally replied with a weak "Pidge-Pidgeot" and a nod of its head.

Relief broke over him. Lurching forward, he hugged the Pidgeot tight, whispering quietly, "Thank you. Thank you."

After backing away, the Pidgeot looked him directly in the eye, gave a sharp nod of his head, and then took off, flying for the nearby trees of the forests surrounding his town.

This time, when he walked away from his house, Charles Martin did not look back. Because he knew they were coming for him.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN):**

**Hello everybody! This is my first attempt at any sort of story here. (Like really this is my first time posting something here so it may take me a few times to get the hang of things!) I've had this idea bouncing around in my head for a long time, and I'm hoping if I get it down in writing it'll help. I don't know completely where this story is going to go, I have some ideas in mind but I don't know all of what I'm going to do yet. I've decided to post this Prologue here and if it is received well, I will continue it. So it is up to whoever is reading this on whether I continue it or not. Any feedback would be nice!**

**Thanks!**

**Thatonebookworm**


	2. Where it all Begins

Sun filtered brightly into a room, dancing across the bed of a young girl sleeping within. The room itself wasn't anything spectacular, white walls hung with pictures of different Pokemon the girl liked and empty drink containers sat on the nightstand. Dirty clothes were piled in a corner and yet some didn't even make it that far, littering the floor. The girl obviously had a love for reading as there was a bookshelf in the corner overflowing with books of all colors and sizes. Despite its simple appearance, the room was homey.

When the sun got to the point of getting into the sleeping girls eyes, she rolled over and pushed her face into the pillow, groaning slightly and trying to go back into the land of sleep. She would have been successful if her door hadn't been shoved open with such force it slammed against the wall and a small shape hadn't shot across the room, leaping onto the bed and jumping up and down screeching, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARLEY."

"Go away Lottie," Marlene growled while pulling the blankets up over her head. She gave a solid kick to her sister's legs to get her point across and down her sister went. Right on top of her.

"Come on Marley! You can't sleep your life away! Aren't you even a little bit excited?" Lottie questioned while sitting on top of her sister, purposefully shifting all her weight to crush her. She started bouncing up and down again in excitement. "Mom said Addy and Lily could come over! _And _you get your first Pokemon today! How can you not be excited? How can you not be_ awake?!_" She cried dramatically.

At her sisters words, Marlene lurched out of her bed, Lottie tumbling to the floor. She had completely forgotten what this birthday had entailed! Her first Pokemon! And suddenly Marlene was wide awake, scrambling for clothes while Lottie gave a quiet "humph" and crossed her arms.

"You could have done that without me ending up on the floor," her sister complained. "I would have gotten off of you if you would have just accepted your fate and gotten up."

"That's not my fault, you know by now I don't like to be woken up like that," Marlene trilled back. It was true. One time when Lottie attempted to wake her sister up that way, she ended up on the receiving end of a bucket of cold water during her next shower. Needless to say, Lottie hadn't attempted it again but the nine-year old must have thought Marlene would have gone easier on her today.

"Well Mom is up and cooking breakfast and says we can go to the Pokemon Lab later today to pick him out. She said we can go get Abby and Lily when we're done eating."

Ah, the Pokemon Lab. Marlene had dreamed of going there for years. Ever since they bumped the age of receiving your trainers license to 14, they had to find a way to pacify young hopeful trainers. So they promised that when a young trainer to-be turned 10, they could get their starter Pokemon. The Pokemon would technically belong to the parent but the child would be tasked with looking after it. This was supposed to allow the trainer to-be to get to know and earn the trust of their partner Pokemon. Because of this, almost every trainer out there had a starter from one of the regions and soon, Pokemon Labs sprouted up in many cities, including their very own Pine Town. Marlene, who was turning 10 today, would be able to receive her partner but would not be able to start her journey for another couple of years.

Now completely dressed, Marlene raced her sister down the stairs, taking them two at a time. They crashed into the kitchen where their mom stood, adding the final touches to their breakfast with a flourish.

"Happy birthday Marley!" her mom exclaimed when she turned to see where the commotion had come from. Sarah Martin was very beautiful, standing with long blonde hair that flowed down her back and hazel eyes that sparkled as she looked at her daughters. She was just as kind as she was beautiful and it only took one look at them when they did something wrong for them to immediately regret whatever action they had taken. "Come on, I've just finished breakfast!"

And indeed she had. Eggs, bacon, and toast were all piled high on the table and orange juice and an array of jelly sat next to it. Lottie and Marlene immediately sat down, piling their plates high while their mother followed at a slower pace, grinning at the girl's enthusiasm.

As they ate, Marlene studied her sister. She looked just like her mom in every way, from the blonde hair to the hazel eyes, all the way down to the way she put her hand on her hip and scrunched her face when thinking. While she looked exactly like her mother, Charlotte Martin was the exact opposite in personality. For one, she would hurt you for calling her anything but Lottie. For two, where their mother was calm and patient, Lottie was like a storm. She could argue with the best of them and always dove head first into things without thinking them through. Which is where Marlene stepped in, dragging her sister out of messes that included but were not limited to: sneaking out when in trouble, feeding her mom's Pokemon the food she didn't want to eat, and picking fights with the local schoolkids.

Lottie and Marlene were almost exact opposites. Where Lottie looked like her mom, Marlene took after her dad. With her light brown hair that turned golden when it hit the light just right and her brown eyes, Marlene looked exactly like a female version of her dad. According to her mom that is, Marlene had never actually met her dad. He had disappeared when she was still a baby, not even knowing her mom was a month pregnant with Lottie at the time. Marlene often wondered what had happened to her father but she never questioned her mom extensively. The last time the sisters had tried, their mom shut down for the whole day and only Flora, her Maganium, could make any sort of headway in the comforting department.

But while Lottie hated her full name, Marlene didn't mind hers. Where Lottie was loud and argumentative, Marlene was content to sit back and plan out how she was going to get out of something. Where Lottie was a troublemaker, picking fights and calling taunts, Marlene was a peacemaker and a mother hen to boot. They were as different as can be but it worked for them.

After breakfast, they attempted to help their mother clean up but she shooed them away saying, "I am not making Marley clean on her birthday! Both of you get going, Lily and Addy will be waiting!"

They were off without another word.

Skipping down their front porch, they took off like rockets for the house next door. The sunlight was bright and the weather was nice – a beautiful day really. Knocking on the door, they waited on the front porch for it to open. It didn't take long before it was flung open and there stood Mrs. Anderson.

"Marlene dear, happy birthday! And hello Lottie, how are you?" She said. Turning into the house, she shouted, "Addy! Marley and Lottie are here!"

"We're good Mrs. Anderson! And thank you," Marlene replied as there was a great crash and Addy came tumbling down the stairs in all her glory. Jumping up, she first tackled Marlene with a hug shouting "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" into her ear and then hugging Lottie in the same style. Rubbing her sore ear, Marlene just grinned in response.

Addison Anderson was a prankster if there ever was one. She would break any rules without a second thought and was even worse than Lottie when it came to fights. Short for her age, Addy was considered small and could easily fit in tight places. This didn't bother her as she happily declared to anyone that would listen that _'I'm not small, I'm fun sized!' _Marlene honestly couldn't tell where Addy kept all her boundless energy. At 8 years old and youngest of the group of 4, Addy would be the last to receive her starter Pokemon. Either way, it didn't matter. Marlene, Lottie, Lily, and Addie had made a pact when they were young to all leave on their journey at the same time and while Marlene had to wait the longest, being the oldest, it was important to her that she started off with her friends.

With a chorus of 'Bye mom' and 'Bye Mrs. Anderson', the three were off to get their fourth friend. Lily lived a little farther than Addy did and the three followed the well-worn path to Lily's house. Pine trees lined the road and stretched out behind the houses, giving the town its name. Leaves littered the ground and even more were falling from the trees overhead. Autumn was in full swing and the reds and yellows made a beautiful sight in the sun.

Coming up to Lily's house, they knocked on the door and it swung open immediately showing their friend. She grinned and hugged Marlene in a much calmer fashion than Addy, saying "Happy birthday Marley," before moving on to the other two.

Lily Roberts was one of Marlene's most favorite people. With her long, naturally curly brown hair and bright blue eyes, Lily was very pretty. Where Addy was hyperactive, Lily was peaceful. Between Marlene and Lily, they could usually calm down the other two and get them to cooperate with what they were doing. Lily would help Marlene think things through and get them out of hard situations. But while Marlene over-analyzed everything, Lily wouldn't stay worried on one thing for too long. Their moms had met after the disappearance of Lily's dad a couple years after Marlene's. Ever since the girls had held a bond of understanding. Were their fathers alive? Why did they leave? Did they even care? These were questions both girls had pondered together.

"Bye mom, I'll see you later!" she tossed over her shoulder and they were off.

* * *

><p>They spent most of the day playing games and debating on which Pokemon Marlene would get. Each were determinedly stuck on their opinions and types, but Marlene had already made up her mind on what type she was going to go with. Fire had always been her calling.<p>

Later in the afternoon, though, after the girls had headed back to the Martin's house, her mom had a surprise announcement.

"Listen, Marlene. I know you really want to go out to the Pokemon Lab but I have something to give you first. It's going to take a little explaining so you all might want to sit down."

Once they were all settled on the couches in the living room, Marlene's mom took a deep breath and began.

"Before your father left, we discussed what we thought to get you when you were old enough for a Pokemon. He was always an eager person and he knew you growing up with just the right starter would help you in the future. This was before the laws to getting a trainer license changed."

Here she stopped and looked at Marlene full in the face before continuing. "Now, on the night your father left, he left behind an egg. A Pokemon egg. For you. And while I will completely understand if you still want to pick out your own Pokemon… I thought you might want to see it before we left."

During this whole exchange, Marlene's face had turned from confusion to delight. Her father had left her a Pokemon? That _must _mean he cared about her, at least to some degree! And then her mind was off, thinking about what it could possibly be and how he could have possibly gotten it. Starters were only given to new trainers. But her mom had said this was before the new laws…

"There isn't anything for me, is there?" came a timid voice. Looking at her sister proved to be a different story. Lottie looked sad, fidgeting with her hands and staring at the floor like she already knew the answer and was extremely saddened by it. Marlene felt instantly guilty. Their father had left before even knowing about Lottie. There was no way he could have thought to leave her something as well.

They were proved right a second later when their mom's voice answered. "I'm sorry Lottie. You know your father didn't know. I really am sorry." She looked it too. Lily and Addy had stayed silent throughout the whole exchange but now they both moved closer to Lottie, offering comfort silently.

While Marlene felt incredibly sorry for her sister, she also felt excitement. Looking at her mom, she said, "Okay. Can I see it?"

As if expecting this to be her answer, her mom got up off the couch and disappeared into her room for a moment. There was the sound of a drawer opening and closing and her mother reappeared, Pokeball in hand. She took a moment to explain. "See, your father left this here as an egg. But I didn't want you to have it too early, it would be dangerous to give you an untrained starter at such a young age. When they created the rules about getting your Pokemon at 10, I decided then would be the perfect time to give it to you. So when it hatched, I captured it in this Pokeball to give to you when the time was right."

She handed the Pokeball to Marlene and took a step back. It was just a regular Pokeball, red on top and white on the bottom. Marlene already had plans to decorate it but she'd wait until she knew what was inside. It was smooth to the touch and as she enlarged it her anticipation grew. Lily, Addy, and even Lottie leaned forward in their seats as Marlene pushed the button and, in a flash of red light, a Pokemon appeared.

The first thing she noticed was that it was small. It could easily sit on her shoulder or in her backpack. Its underside was a soft cream color while the top of it was blue. It had a hunched over, mouse like appearance and a long snout. Its eyes were closed but every few seconds it would open them up, look swiftly around and then close them again. Marlene didn't know much about the Pokemon. It looked cute. But she deflated slightly when she realized it probably wasn't a fire-type.

Until it caught on fire.

Not literally but it might as well have. With a sharp cry of 'Cynda-quiiiiiil' it's back flared up and fire danced along, lighting up the room and throwing shadows across the walls. All four of the younger girls jumped in surprise while Sarah looked on, grinning. The fire died down on the Pokemons back and it looked around again.

Grinning like a maniac, Marlene got on all fours and crawled up to the little Pokemon, hand outstretched. It approached her, sniffed her hand, and, deciding that she was worthy, let Marlene pet it. Sitting down on the floor, the Pokemon happily jumped in her lap and licked her on the face. Giggling, she beckoned for her friends to come take a closer look. They happily obliged, jumping up and hurrying over to see the little thing.

"Are you going to keep it? Oh please tell me you are, it's so cute! And you should nickname it, oh we should do it right now! Come on Marlene!" Addy could really be hyper sometimes but Marlene actually agreed with her. The Pokemon was extremely cute and she would be willing to keep it as long as the Pokemon itself was okay with staying with her.

"What do you say boy? Want to be my partner?" Marlene said looking down at the Pokemon with wide eyes.

She immediately snatched her hand away as the Pokemon burned her.

"Ow! What was that for?" She said, looking down at the tiny thing indignantly. For its part, the Cyndaquil just stared at her, an offended look on its face.

"Cynda Cyndaquil!" It said looking straight at Marlene. Marlene ran over what she had said. Surely nothing was that offensive? It took her a moment and then –

"You're a girl!" she exclaimed. The mouse gave a quick shake of its head in affirmation. _Well it makes sense _Marlene thought. _I would be offended if somebody mistook me for a boy._

"Okay, _girl. _What do you say? Want to be my partner?" she asked again.

"Cynda!" came the happy reply while it licked her face again.

"Good!" This came from Lottie who was petting the Pokemon looking happier than before. "Now that that's settled, why don't we all try and come up with nicknames. Any suggestions?"

"Blaze?"

"Cindy!"

"Ember."

"You know," said Marlene's mom watching as the little thing roamed around the room, sniffing things as it went. "Cyndaquils aren't known to be adventurous. They're actually quite shy. But yours seems to be extremely curious."

As she said this, the cyndaquil got its nose stuck in the crack between the wall and the TV and Marlene was forced to get up and move the TV out of the way to get it out.

"How about Star?" came a quiet suggestion. Lily continued, "Stars burn bright in the sky and are beautiful. I know when I look at stars I think on all the adventures I'll have some day. Besides it's more unique than Blaze," here she shot Lottie a look.

"Star is such a stup–" Lottie began, glaring right back.

"No!" Marlene broke in, smiling. "It's perfect!"

Lily smirked in triumph as Marlene got up and walked over to the little Pokemon.

"Hey there," she said, picking up the cyndaquil and holding it close. "What do you say to the nickname Star?"

"Cyndaquill Cynda-Cyndaquil!"

"I'll take that as a yes!" Marlene said, grinning, as Star reached up to lick her again. All of the girls fell to laughing and petting the mouse Pokemon as the day ended and Marlene was the happiest she'd been in a long time.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN)**

**I've decided that the prologue wasn't a lot to go on so I've written out the first official chapter. This chapter has a lot going on with the introduction of our four main characters. I always knew I wanted my main characters first Pokemon to be a Cyndaquil as they are my favorite starter. I always keep a female named Cinder but I wanted something a little more unique than that for this story. I've already got the starters of Lily, Lottie, and Addy picked out (which will be revealed in the next chapter or two) and we will do a time jump to when the girls start their journey. But before that, we'll have to go through a little trouble with the four ;)  
>I still haven't officially decided on whether or not I will be completing this story but I really wanted to give the first chapter a shot<strong>

**Thanks!**

**Thatonebookworm**


	3. Time to Leave?

"LOTTIE! GET HIM _OUT _OF HERE."

There was a crash and a bang, followed by a shriek of horror and the him in question came streaking out of Lottie and Marlene's shared bathroom, blue arms above his ducked head as he ran as fast as he could toward Lottie's room. There was about a five second delay before Marlene came pelting after him, soaking wet, her hair plastered to her face and Star trailing not far behind. The shape took a running leap and tucked himself away behind Lottie, staring, his eyes barely showing from behind her. Marlene soon followed, slamming the door open with such force that the shape hid himself completely and Lottie jerked her head towards the door in surprise.

"What on _earth _was that for?" Lottie questioned, narrowing her eyes in anger as she took in her drenched sister. "You're dripping water all in my room! Stop that!"

"Then tell your Pokemon not to spray me whenever I'm in the bathroom! Just because that's the place we take showers at does not mean he can drench me whenever I step foot in there!" she exclaimed, glaring at her sister.

"Oh, stop whining! Jet didn't mean to do any harm, he thought he was helping you out!" she said with confidence, picking up her Pokemon and cradled him to her. He was obviously frightened, shivering and whimpering. He gave a small, "Pip Piplup," in agreement to Lottie's words and Marlene didn't know if that was because he actually believed them or if he was just glad for the excuse. Suddenly, Marlene wasn't angry at the small penguin anymore. Who could be mad at such a little Pokemon when it was this frightened, even if it had drenched her?

"Yeah well," she grumbled, still staring at the piplup. He might be cute but he sure was a handful. "You can clean up the mess in the bathroom. And I'll stick to fire types thank-you-very-much. No water types for me."

Just because Marlene had calmed down and grudgingly forgiven the Penguin Pokemon did not mean Star had. She took Marlene's surrender personally and decided to take care of telling off the piplup herself.

"Cynda Cyndaquill Quill _Quill_," she said sharply, smoke curling from her nose, her back steaming as if on the verge of catching fire. Combined with her wet fur, the steam grew rabidly, drying her back.

It had been almost four years since her sister had picked out her starter and over five since she had first opened Star's Pokeball. The little cyndaquil had certainly grown, her skills in commanding fire expanding as she got bigger. Knowing that, Marlene decided that it was safer for all of them if she calmed the Fire Mouse down. The smoke was already a dangerous sign and she knew just how bad her cyndaquil's temper could be when she got wet.

"Come on Star, it's finally stopped raining! Let's go take a walk."

Lottie nodded her head in thanks, obviously recognizing the signs from the last time Star had gotten this worked up and managed to set the living room curtains on fire.

Marlene turned to walk back to her room but stopped at the door when she realized Star wasn't following. She was still glaring at Jet but when Marlene cleared her throat loudly, she gave a little snort and swiveled around to follow Marlene back to her room, head held high. Marlene rolled her eyes in amusement before entering her room and changing out of her sopping clothes, stepping outside and smiling as the sun shined on her face. She then struck off down the road, Star now resting merrily on her shoulder, earlier mishaps slowly dissipating as she soaked in the sunshine that hadn't been seen for days.

It was a beautiful day outside, just like it always is after a weeks' worth of thunderstorms finally blow away. Water glistened on the grass and the dirt road was packed and muddy, puddles forming here and there along it. The great pine trees lining the road were heavy with moisture and swayed with the weight of it. Still, the sun showed brightly above, catching the water and making everything shine like diamonds.

"What do you say to visiting the river today Star?" Marlene asked. After an excited nod of the head from her Pokemon, Marlene turned and began traveling down a well-worn path into the nearby woods. The mud became even more apparent and the slopes became steeper as she went over hills. The trees began growing even thicker the further she went. Eventually, she came to a clearing with a river flowing through it that was swelled to twice its normal size with rain water. It was flowing swiftly downhill, tumbling over rocks and rushing down slopes – nests of water Pokemon who had fled when the rain failed to stop. Tree branches and other debris were swept down in the muddy water, moving out of her line of sight as they got further downriver.

Here, Marlene found the driest patch of grass she could find within the puddles of mud and sat staring out over the water. Despite her dislike of water, this was one of Marlene's favorite spots. She often came out here to think when she needed somewhere quiet. Whenever the river was at its normal size, it flowed gently down and Pokemon gathered to play and drink from it. Now however, the Pokemon were too scared to approach the torrent that was flowing down.

Her cyndaquil jumped off her shoulder and began sniffing around, turning over rocks and sticking her long nose in various holes she found in the ground, dodging muddy puddles with looks of distaste. She did this every time she came here, as if expecting to find something different. Marlene often questioned her but it was to no avail - Star never attempted to give her a reason. Warning her not to get too close to the water, Marlene leaned back on her hands and looked around at the beauty of the woods, fresh from rain.

The sun warmed the ground and she was just beginning to doze off when the quiet was shattered all of a sudden by a surprised '_quiiiiiil!' _and Marlene jerked up in surprise, looking over to her Pokemon. She almost couldn't see Star under the great leafy bulb that made itself known by sitting right on top of her. Marlene tensed, mouth open to give a command to fight off the attacker when she recognized it and shook her head, laughing.

"Hey Adam!" She greeted as the bulbasaur hopped off Star and trotted over to her, nuzzling her hand as she knew he would. Adam loved to be pet and would often walk up to you on his own accord. And wherever Adam was, sure to follow right behind was…

"_There _you are!" came a voice, panting as it came into view. "Little thing left me behind! He must have known you were out here, he took off half-way up the trail. I was coming to see how big the river had gotten. Looks like no training today."

Lily walked over and sat down next to her, Adam immediately jumping into her lap. He turned a few circles, making himself comfortable, and then plopped down heavily. Star followed at a much slower pace, opting to sit close to her trainer instead of on her. Marlene absently reached out a hand to pet her and smoke curled from her nose as she gave a little purr-like rumble.

"How has training been going by the way?" Marlene asked, striking up a conversation. Ever since Lily had gotten her trainers license six months after Marlene, who had gotten hers a whole year and a half ago, she had thrown herself into training her bulbasaur. Staying true to their promise, they had both decided to wait for the other two before leaving. That didn't mean they couldn't train in the woods though, battling wild Pokemon and local trainers alike, growing stronger for their journey ahead. It would be another two months before Lottie got her license and another four after that before Addy was ready but they had waited this long – before they knew it, they'd be off on their own.

"It's been great!" she said enthusiastically. "Adam and I have been working really hard. I've been thinking about adding another Pokemon to my team."

"Really?" Marlene asked. This was the first time she had heard Lily express an interest in caching a Pokemon locally. There was usually families of water Pokemon around and sometimes, if you were lucky, you could find flocks of bird Pokemon flying about but there wasn't anything Lily had ever said she'd wanted to catch around here. Most of the Pokemon around this area were old and experienced anyway – they didn't want to be caught by new trainers.

"Yeah!" she said, staring out over the water as she replied. "You know, Garnet City is very close to Emerald… I've been wanting to add a fire-type to my team."

Most trainers started their journey in Emerald City because that was where the first Gym in the Paragon Region was. Trainers would then travel through the circuit of gyms and end up in Amethyst City, the last gym before traveling through Victory Road. Amethyst City was the closest city to Pine Town with Victory Road leading out of its opposite end. This was all if the trainer _wanted _to challenge the gym circuit – some just wanted to travel for the fun of it and others would instead flock to the towns where they held Battle Competitions and other such events. But to get to Garnet City, Lily would first have to fly to the other end of the region, a trip that would start when they…

"How soon were you thinking about adding this Pokemon to your team?" Marlene asked slowly, both wanting to know the answer and afraid of what she was about to be told.

"Well," Lily replied, still staring out over the fast moving water. "The Battle Competitions just finished this week. If I'm going to enter the next one to start, I need to train with the members I add to my team. Which will be hard seeing as you need three to enter and I only have Adam at the moment. And the next one starts in six months, when – "

"We leave for our journey. Together." Marlene interrupted firmly, now looking directly at Lily. The dark-haired girl still refused to meet her eyes like she knew what she was about to finish saying would spark something in Marlene she didn't want to see.

"Which will be another six months of waiting. Time that would be better spent training," Lily pointed out.

"Waiting like we have been doing for a while. We're over halfway there, why leave now?"

"Don't you ever get tired of the same thing? The same woods and the same Pokemon and the same people?"

Here Marlene shot Lily a look. Of course she got tired of staying in the very corner of this region. Pine Town had grown on its own when people began moving further north and was often classified on its own. But she couldn't leave her sister or Addy. Why go without them? They'd done everything together since they'd met. Why would Lily want to change that now?

"And what about Lottie? Addy? Our promise? Don't you remember what we told them?" Marlene burst out, now feeling slightly angry at the girl sitting next to her. They had _promised. _And if it was one thing the girls did, it was to never break their promises.

"Of course I remember our promise!" Lily snapped suddenly, swiveling around to face Marlene. There was a deep v in her forehead from her scrunched eyebrows and a frown dominated her face. "Don't you think I remember why I'm even still here? I could have been long gone, started my own journey ages ago!" She started picking at the grass around her feet in agitation, tearing a few pieces out and shredding them before dropping them and repeating the process. Adam was still curled in her lap but his ears pricked up at the frustrated voice of his trainer.

"And at first I was okay with waiting," Lily continued. "At least when I finally did start I wouldn't be alone! But I just can't wait anymore Marley." Here she shot Marlene a desperate look. "I can't stay in small Pine Town for another six months! It's too long of a wait. I'm ready to start now."

"Why are you telling me this then?" Marlene asked after a moment, narrowing her eyes. "Why not just leave? If you're going to go no matter what I say, then why haven't you left yet?"

"I want you to come with me."

Marlene was on her feet in an instant, staring down at Lily. Star gave a little jolt as her trainer jumped up but didn't follow. She remained seated and watched everything from half closed eyes. Lily slowly stood up, wanting to be eye level with the angry girl standing in front of her. Adam jumped from her lap and landed lightly on the ground before sitting back on his haunches and staring up at the two girls.

"You _what?"_ Marlene growled. "You expect _me _to break my promise? It's one thing, Lily, to do it yourself. But to ask me to do it too?"

"It's not like we wouldn't come back for them!" Lily said, arguing her case. "We could go, train to enter next seasons Battle Competition, and then come back just in time for Addy to have her license! Then we could all travel together! We'd still be keeping our promise. Don't you want to take part in the competitions with me? I thought that's what you wanted to do once you became a trainer."

In truth, it sounded well thought out. Marlene _did _want to take part in the Battle Competitions rather than challenge Gym leaders, which is what Lottie and Addy wanted to do. They also took a lot of extra training. Battle Competitions were an interesting mix of the Gym circuit and the far away Coordinator Contests of Hoenn and other such regions. Separate from the Gym challenge, Battle Competitions were held in certain cities across the region. A trainer planning on taking them on could enter into any of the six Battle Competition locations and if they won at four of them, could then participate in the Masters Battle Competition held once a year in Marvel City at the center of the region. The previous champion of the Master Battle Competition would then challenge the new winner for the title of Master Battler. This title was completely separate from the Champion title one received if they challenged the gym circuit but it was revered just as much. The locations for this circuit were only open the six months leading up into the Master Battle Competition so it was best to spend the six months in between the Masters competition and the opening of the circuit training.

But still, the whole point of Marlene and Lily waiting was so that they could all experience traveling for the first time. So that they could all take that first step into Route 1 and see each other capture their first Pokemon together. It was more than just traveling to compete – it was traveling to learn and grow together. And it wasn't like they couldn't train here, they'd been doing it for months!

"You don't want to take that first step together?" Marlene challenged. "You don't want to capture our first Pokemon together? You don't want to see all the towns, the Gyms, the Competitions, the Pokemon together?"

"It's not that Marley," she said, growing so quiet that Marlene had to strain to hear over the rushing water. Then Lily shook her head and before Marlene could question her, she started walking back up the path into town, Adam trotting quietly behind her.

"I'm not telling them, you know. If you plan on leaving, that's the least you can do."

It was a quiet statement, made as Marlene stared hard at the ground between them. Lily paused and barely glanced over her shoulder. Then, she took a deep breath as if preparing for something and continued on, throwing over her shoulder as she went, "I thought you'd support me, Marlene. I thought it was what best friends did. I guess I was wrong."

And Marlene was left to stare after her longtime friend as she walked away.

* * *

><p>Marlene slept badly that night. She tossed and turned as guilt gnawed at her, trying to fall asleep as Lily's voice echoed in her ear. <em>I thought we were friends, <em>it said tauntingly. _I thought you'd care enough._ And even when she did fall asleep, it was broken by dreams that had no real substance to them, only darkness and the feeling of being followed. Each time she woke up with a gasp, staring around her room but finding nothing in there but the sleeping form of Star and those words to chase her back to sleep.

When the sun began to finally make its way above the horizon, Marlene gave up on sleep in favor of a steaming cup of coffee in the kitchen that Star warmed up with a gentle fire, staring up at her trainer with what could only be described as concern on her long face. About an hour later, Lottie came trudging down the stairs, her piplup following wearily behind. She stared at Marlene's coffee for about ten seconds before deciding it was worth it to make some herself.

"Bad night huh?" Lottie asked while she worked, studying her sister for a moment. Marlene sat glaring at her cup in contemplation and snapped her eyes up to her sister when she said this.

"Gee, I wonder what gave that away," Marlene replied dryly. Lottie raised an eyebrow in response. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. It's too early for this. I didn't sleep very well, I can't think of why though." It's not like Lily was planning on leaving them, Marlene thought to herself.

As far as she knew, Lily had not told either Lottie or Addy about her plans to leave since their conversation yesterday. At least not yet. This could either be a good thing or a bad thing – good if Lily was rethinking her decision to leave and bad if she decided to leave without telling the other two girls. This created a spark of hope in Marlene's chest. Maybe Lily would stay with them. Maybe Marlene had talked some sense into her. And maybe, just maybe, Lily would keep her promise.

"Yeah, me either. I don't know what's going on but –, "Lottie cut off suddenly as their mom walked in and it was immediately apparent why. The normally cheerful disposition was gone, replaced by hooded eyes and a blank expression. Her mouth was turned down in a frown and she stared at the ground as she walked, as if afraid it would disappear from underneath her feet. She sat down heavily in one of the kitchen chairs and ran her hands through her hair. Lottie and Marlene shared a look of confusion before Lottie opened her mouth to ask what was wrong. Her mom beat her to it though, looking at both of them as she explained her odd behavior.

"Lily is gone."

Immediately the spark of hope died within Marlene and she slammed a palm into the table in front of her. So Lily was just going to leave? After everything Marlene had said to her just yesterday? She scoffed and opened her mouth saying roughly, "So she decided to do it huh? She really decided to leave. I cannot believe that –"

"Marley," her mother interrupted her quietly and something in her voice made Marlene pause, mouth open to continue her rant. She looked surprised at Marlene's outburst, as if that was the last thing she expected as a first reaction. "Adam is still here. Lily is _gone_."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN):**

**And here is the official start of our story! I have a lot more planned out for this than I did when I first began the first chapter and I'm excited to see where it will lead.**

**Out of curiosity, what would you do if you were in Marlene's position and a friend asked that of you? Would you break your promise and go with them? Or would you refuse to go in favor of said promise? I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter!**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Thatonebookworm**


	4. Gone

Chapter Three: Gone

Silence hung in the air thickly as both Marlene and Lottie stared at their mom with wide eyes, unable to move. Lottie had a look of complete befuddlement on her face but Marlene had a horrible feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. Gone? Lily couldn't be gone. She must have just left on her journey, like she had talked about. But Marlene knew Lily, and Lily would never have gone anywhere without Adam. This thought itched at the back of her mind until she gained the courage to hesitantly ask, "Gone?"

"She's been taken," was the reply. And then Marlene was staring with growing horror, taking in only half of what her mom was saying. "Adam woke up Lily's mom… Police arrived… Only just found out myself… And they don't know how long –"

There was a sound of shattering glass as Lottie dropped her cup and both girls were snapped out of their dazedness. Then, without an explanation, Lottie darted out of the room leaving her piplup to stare after her. At first, Marlene thought she was going to shut herself in her room. That's what she normally did when she was upset. But then she heard the front door open and slam shut and Marlene immediately shot after her, Star and Jet rushing to keep up. Normally she would let her sister have a moment to herself in times like these but that was if she stayed in the house. With what they just heard, her sister could be going anywhere at the moment.

Lottie was halfway down the street when Marlene cleared the fence around their house. Trees flashed past in a green and brown haze as they trampled down the dirt road, the occasional neighbor stopping the process of watering their garden or taking a walk with their Pokemon to watch them fly by. They took three more turns before it was apparent to Marlene where Lottie was going. When they turned the corner to Lily's street, Marlene skidded to a halt in surprise, panting lightly and almost running into her sister who stopped just ahead of her. Star and Jet were not so lucky. They tumbled over each other in their attempt to stop and now they lay in a heap on the ground, Jet on top while Star sat with a disgruntled look on her face underneath him. She looked like she was going to protest at the way they were left behind when she got a look at both of the girls.

Marlene and Lottie were staring at the house in horror. Officers were swarming the place, police cars blocking the house from the street. A perimeter was being put up dividing the house from the rest of the neighborhood and Growlithes guarded the area while a couple sniffed around looking for clues. People from around the neighborhood were beginning to gather on the edges but the guard-Pokemon growled and stepped forward whenever they got too close.

There was only a couple second's pause before Lottie started forward again.

"Lottie, wait up! What are you even going to do?" Marlene asked, starting after her. There was a moment of scuffling among the Pokemon before they too were following.

Lottie continued to march forward determinedly with her hands clenched at her side saying, "I am going to see for myself what's going on. Lily can't really be gone, Marley. She just can't." She said the last part almost desperately but her stride never broke. She kept marching forward and Marlene was forced to follow or risk getting left behind. She couldn't deny that she needed to know what was going on too.

Reaching the perimeter, Lottie took a step into it and was confronted with a barking Growlithe at once, it's black and orange stripped fur standing on end. She stepped back and the Growlithe stopped but still stood staring at her as if daring her to come back. Lottie looked around for a moment and then, apparently finding what she was looking for, started walking along the perimeter, scooping up Jet as she went. She walked, bending down to whisper in Jet's ear for a moment, until she came to an officer standing guard and stood there, the guard choosing to ignore her, until she cleared her throat loudly. He turned to her slowly with a questioning eye.

"May I help you Ma'am?"

"Yes, you may actually." Lottie replied sweetly, batting her eyelashes and trying to look innocent. Jet widened his eyes too and stared at the officer in what could only be classified as admiration. They looked like they were in awe of the man in front of them. _Which is probably what they're aiming for _Marlene thought to herself. Star gave a little scoff as if she didn't think it would work but she said nothing, opting to sit half hidden behind Marlene. The officer's only response was to quirk an eyebrow at her before Lottie continued.

"You see, my best friend lives here. And I was wondering if you could take me to the house? I need to know what is going on and I didn't think the Growlithes would let me through without permission from an important officer like yourself. Someone who is in control of the situation, you know?" She said this all with a light tone but Marlene thought she was laying it on just a bit thick.

Obviously he thought the same because although his eyes lingered on them (particularly Jet whose eyes resembled dinner plates and shown with an inner sparkle - if Marlene didn't know any better, she'd say he was using a Baby-Doll Eyes attack even though he didn't know how to) he replied with, "Flattery will get you nowhere Ma'am," and turned back towards the front, trying to block her out.

Marlene, seeing Lottie's expression flash to an expression of shock at being turned down so easily, decided it was time to say something herself. "Sir, can you at least tell us what's going on? She really is one of our best friends and we're worried about her."

"I'm sorry, that's classified information," was the stern reply.

"You can't tell us anything about what happened? Not at all?"

"That's classified."

"Can you tell us who is in charge here?"

"Classified."

Now he was just wasting their time and once that became apparent to Marlene, she swiveled around and stalked off, Lottie following her. They were halfway down the road when Marlene stopped and turned to Lottie who was just setting Jet down. Both Star and him sat back and stared up at their trainers with looks that said, "What now?"

They both sat staring at each other in silence before Lottie finally exploded. "We have to come up with something, Marley!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air as she spoke. She gestured wildly to the house and continued saying, "We can't just sit here and wait. We need to get in there!"

"I know Lottie, trust me!" Marlene replied, her body going stiff and her hands coming up to rest on her hips. They stared at each other in growing annoyance. She wanted to know what was going on just as much as her sister did and Lottie didn't seem to realize that. Lily was her friend too and to even think that she was really gone without proof...

"I want to get in there just as much as you do," Marlene finally continued, body slumping forward, her eyes falling to the ground. Her voice was quiet as she said,"I hate to think of Mrs. Roberts in there alone… Lily was all she had other than her Pokemon. She needs us now. But really, we need to come up with a plan to get in there. We can't just wait around all day for a chance to run in."

"Mrs. Roberts… If we could just… But that would mean…" Lottie was mumbling under her breath now, so quietly that Marlene couldn't hear everything she was saying. Then, her head popped up, eyes alight and an evil grin on her face. Before Marlene could ask what her sister was planning, she swiveled around and started back towards the house. Marlene shared a questioning look with Jet and Star before starting after her, reaching a hand out to place it on her sisters shoulder but never connecting with it.

"Lottie?" she asked. "What are you –"

But without a response, Lottie picked up her pace to a light jog and before Marlene knew it, she was running full pelt towards the house. Jet immediately took off after her, trying and failing to keep up. He was left far behind crying, "Piplup! Piplup Pip!" as he tried desperately to keep up with his trainer who ignored his calls. Scooping her cyndaquil and the piplup up, she rushed after her sister shouting, "Lottie! Wait up! Stop!"

But Lottie did not stop, nor did she lighten her pace. If anything, she was now flying towards the house with resoluteness and suddenly, Marlene saw what she was going to do.

She didn't even slow down as she hit the perimeter, taking a flying leap over the guard-Pokemon and running for the front door. Half a beat later had her struggling in the arms of one of the officers, a Growlithe barking like mad at her feet. She struggled, still trying to get to the front door and a second officer showed up trying to help the first.

"LET _GO _OF ME! I NEED TO SEE MRS. ROBERTS, LET GO!"

"Ma'am, you've got to calm down! This is a crime investigation, no civilians allowed!"

"I DON'T CARE WHAT THIS IS. LET GO OF ME!"

"Ma'am, please –"

"_LET GO_."

"_Oomph."_

It was about that time that Marlene arrived behind her. Jet was struggling in her grasp, giving sharp cries of, "Pip _lup _pip! _Piplup!"_ while trying to escape and help his trainer but Marlene held onto him tightly as she opened her mouth and took a deep breath to shout over the mess in front of her.

"STOP THIS RIGHT NOW."

All three of the struggling people froze. Lottie had one wrist in the grasp of the first officer who was reaching over her for her second hand which she had held over her head and out of reach. The second officer, a male, was currently lying on the ground, his tan uniform smudging with dirt and slight mud from the rain of the past week. Lottie's knee was still in the air from the kick she had given him and that leg pushed the first officer away as she balanced on one foot.

The shout hadn't come from Marlene though. A man was walking swiftly over to them, a Manectric at his heels. His deeply lined face and salt-and-pepper hair showed years of hard work and he wore a long trench coat over a dark suit. He carried himself with an air of strength but he definitely was not the youngest person there. He strode towards them and immediately the officer holding Lottie let go, snapping to attention. The one on the ground tried to do the same but couldn't stand all of the way up yet – he was still hunched over, both hands between his legs.

"Just _what _is going on here?" he asked with authority in his voice, stopping in front of them. The standing officer rushed to explain.

"We were just guarding the perimeter when this girl," here she shot Lottie a look of loathing, "ran across it! She has no right to be here, she's not a part of the investigation, sir!"

The man was about to reply when Lottie butted in. "As I told the officer who wouldn't let me through when I asked politely, I _know_ the Roberts! We're best friends with Lily!" Lottie was staring harshly at the man on the ground as she said this and Marlene recognized the man they had tried to get past the first time._ Ha_, she smirked internally. _Should have gotten the person in charge in the first place or we wouldn't have been pushed to attempt something else.  
><em>

The man in the trench coat paused, an indescribable look on his face as he looked at all of them in turn.

"Why don't you two come with me?" he asked finally, not unkindly. Marlene and Lottie exchanged a look before nodding and following after him. Their Pokemon, who Marlene had sat down when the danger of them rushing in to fight had passed, also followed looking slightly suspicious. They glanced at each other before nodding in what must have been agreement and stuck close to their trainers, placing themselves between the girls and the surrounding officers, man and Manectric included. Before leaving, the man turned to the surrounding officers who had stopped to watch the exchange and said, "There's still a girl to find people! You don't get paid to stand around, back to work! You two especially," he added, giving the two officers who had stopped Lottie a hard look. The man was just beginning to stand up straight and both of them nodded quickly.

"Yes sir!"

"Of course sir!"

And then the man spun around, long coat billowing behind him, and made his way inside, trusting that Marlene and Lottie would follow.

"What in Arceus' name were you thinking?" Marlene questioned harshly out of the side of her mouth. The man's comment about there being a girl that needed finding had unsettled her and she walked forward in trepidation. They were both just out of earshot of him but that didn't stop her from keeping her voice down.

"I figured," Lottie whispered back just as quietly, "if we could somehow get Mrs. Roberts' attention, she would make the officers let us in. The obvious thing was to make a lot of noise. I guess it's okay we got caught by this guy instead – he must be in charge or something."

The man led them through the front door and down a hallway directly across from it. It was lined with pictures, some with multiple people in it, others just portraits, while still more had all four friends, smiling and laughing. All of the pictures had one thing in common - each one had Lily in it. One at the end caught her eye as she walked by it and she paused for a second, staring at it. It was one of her favorites, taken on Lily's birthday - the one when she got Adam. All four friends were standing with their arms slung over each others shoulders, mouths stretched wide with grins and in Addy's case laughter. Adam was blinking at the flashing camera with dazed eyes and Star sat on Marlene's head, grinning in merriment. Marlene smiled softly and reached out to touch it before she paused, hand hovering in the air as a thought flashed through her. This may never happen again. If what she was afraid to find out was actually true, she might never laugh and joke with one of her best friends again. She may never train or mock-battle with her. She may never get to set out into the world like they had always dreamed of. She would never fight in the competitions they planned to take on together or catch Pokemon together. And suddenly, it hit Marlene that if her fears were confirmed, if what she was now terrified to find out was true, she would be losing a lot more than a friend. She would be losing a sister.

They stopped in front of the living room door and the man turned to both of them saying, "Now, Mrs. Roberts has been through a lot. She's been very upset all day. I hope you two can help if you really were friends of Lily."

When the man pushed the door open, Marlene almost didn't follow. She felt a slight nudge on her leg and glanced down to see Star staring up at her. The little Pokemon looked concerned but her sparkling eyes seemed to say, _we'll do this together._ Marlene, slightly reassured at the reminder that not only did she have Star at her side but her sister too, mustered up the willpower to follow the man into the room.

The room was dark despite it being early and the curtains were drawn, blocking out the world and giving the room a depressed feeling. A single lamp provided the only light in the room and Marlene could see a cup of undrunk tea sitting on the coffee table, probably cold by now. Mrs. Roberts seemed to be the only occupant in the room and she looked like death warmed over – her normally cheery face and rosy cheeks were drooping with exhaustion and desperation. Her face was blotchy and red and she clutched a handkerchief in one hand. Every few moments she would dab at her eyes or blow her nose. When she caught sight of Marlene and Lottie, she sniffed once and sat up a little straighter, molding her face into a blank mask before standing up and walking swiftly over to both of them, enveloping them in a bone-crushing hug.

"Marley… Lottie… Oh girls, it's good to see you. And Detective Parker! I thought I heard something outside, is everything okay?" She kept sniffling as she said this and she stood slightly stooped as if to hide within herself. But her voice was strong and she looked directly at who Marley now knew to be Detective Parker as she spoke.

"Everything is fine Mrs. Roberts. It was just these two trying to get past the officers outside. I am assuming you know them then?" Detective Parker was quick to reply.

Suddenly Star, who had been quiet up until then, gave a little squeak and began tugging Jet over into a corner of the room insistently. Marlene looked to where she was headed and almost cringed when she saw Adam. Apparently the room wasn't as unoccupied as she first thought. The bulbasaur lay with his back to the room and his head in his little arms, trying to hide himself. When Jet caught sight of Adam, Star let go and continued on by herself, cautiously approaching the bulbasaur.

"Cynda?" she asked quietly. "Cynda cyndaquil?"

She stood next to his head now but without responding, he turned to look in the other direction completely blocking her out. Jet came up on his other side, repeating Star's question with a small, "Piplup pip?"

Adam just faced forward and put his arms in front of his eyes, effectively avoiding eye contact with the both of them. Jet looked to the other occupants of the room with a hopeless expression on his face but Star didn't give up. She just sat down next to him, pressing against his side in an offering of consolation. Jet followed her lead and sat down on his other side. Star tried to get Adam to talk in low tones but he stoutly refused, keeping his eyes averted the whole time.

Mrs. Roberts watched the whole exchange with an unreadable expression on her face, nodding absently in the affirmative to Detective Parker's question. The Detective watched her for a couple more seconds before his Manectric piped up with a, "Manectric man, man ectric."

The Detective suddenly slapped a hand to his head and said, "I forgot about the meeting! I'll be leaving then." Then, seeing Mrs. Roberts confused expression, explained, "I was heading out when I ran into these two and stopped to bring them in. But I've got some leads to follow. You have my number, correct? In case you think of anything else?"

"Oh yes, yes I do Detective. Thank you for everything," Mrs. Roberts replied with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

The Detective nodded once to her and, after opening and closing his mouth once, twice, three times, decided it was best not to say anything. And then he turned on his heel and walked out, his Manectric following behind.

They sat watching his retreat for a moment before Marlene spoke.

"Mrs. Roberts," she started hesitatingly. She didn't want to bring it up but she had to – it was the whole reason they had come here in the first place. Mrs. Roberts seemed to know what she was about to say and interrupted her.

"Why don't we sit down? There's a lot I need to tell you. I was hoping to wait for Addie but I guess they haven't gotten my message yet and I can see you want to know what happened. You deserve to know what happened."

She led them over to the couch and sat down opposite of them. Marlene and Lottie watched her for a moment as she closed her eyes and seemed to collect her thoughts. Now that the time had finally come, Marlene almost wanted to leave because surely, _surely, _she really didn't want to know if her fears were true. But deep down, she knew that she wouldn't be able to accept anything until Mrs. Roberts confirmed it. Lottie's presence at her shoulder was the only other thing keeping her there.

"Last night," Mrs. Roberts began slowly, opening her eyes, "Lily told me she wished to start her journey early." Lottie gasped when she said it but Marlene just nodded her head sadly. Mrs. Roberts stared at her for a second before saying softly, "You knew?"

Lottie turned to look at Marlene in confusion as she reluctantly replied. "Lily came to me at the river yesterday and tried to convince me to start early. She said she wanted to train with her new team before the Battle Competitions started. She said we could train and then meet up with Lottie and Addie when they were ready to start. I refused and said that if she really wanted to go, she would have to tell you and Addie herself, Lottie." The last part was directed at Lottie in the hopes that she wouldn't get too mad at her. She had her own reasons for not telling Lottie about Lily's decision and they couldn't afford to be mad at each other at the moment. There were more important things to discuss.

Lottie seemed to struggle internally for a moment and then apparently seemed to decide it wasn't the most important thing at the moment. Giving Marlene a 'we'll-talk-about-this-later' look, she turned to Mrs. Roberts, who was watching the exchange, and nodded at her to continue.

"Well I told her something similar. I said that it was ultimately her choice and that I'd support her but she couldn't just leave. She needed to talk to you girls first. So she went to bed, promising she'd talk to you in the morning." Here Mrs. Roberts closed her eyes tightly as she continued.

"Around three o'clock this morning I was woken by a thump from across the hall, in Lily's room. I didn't think much of it – Adam's been known to roll out of bed before and he makes quite a noise when he does, enough to wake me up sometimes. But a few minutes later he came barging into my room like the Houndooms of hell were on his tail, screeching as loud as he could and I...I..." A pause, a deep but shaky breath, and then," I-I ran to her room and she was j-just… gone. Her w-window was open and some of her furniture had been s-shoved around but whoever t-t-took her must have been careful not to make too much n-noise." There were tears streaming down her face now and she scrunched her eyes tightly as she undoubtedly relived the moment. She opened her eyes again and there was an indescribable pain in them, that of a person who had lost something dear to them.

"I-if only I had g-g-gotten up when I first h-heard something! Maybe I could have-"she seemed unable to continue as she put her head in her hands and let out a sob. Marlene and Lottie shared a look of pain before Marlene got up and went to sit beside the crying woman, putting an arm over her shoulder in comfort. Lottie followed shortly after and they, like their Pokemon sitting a short distance away, tried to console the women.

"A-and I know Adam blames himself," Mrs. Roberts finally said, pushing both hands through her messy hair and holding them there. She stared at the floor, leaning over her knees, and seemed to be oblivious to the girls sitting on either side of her. "He's been inconsolable since it happened. He won't talk to anybody and he's been sitting in that corner all day. H-he must think he wasn't strong enough or fast enough or…or-"

They looked over to Adam's corner where they could see he had his ears pricked to listen to Mrs. Roberts' tale but he still had his face buried in his arms. When he heard his name mentioned, his body gave a little shudder and he shook his head, burrowing it deeper into the corner of the room and away from Star and Jet who still refused to move. Mrs. Roberts' frown deepened as she looked at him.

"I just can't believe it," she finally said still staring at the bulbasaur. The sobs had died down now but a single tear traced it's way down her cheek as she said, "my baby girl is _gone._"

Lottie's sniffling turned Mrs. Roberts attention away from Adam and her faced turned ashamed. "But look at me! Sitting here crying my eyes out! I should be comforting you, not the other way around."

"No Mrs. Roberts, we understand!" Marlene protested with a slight quiver in her voice. She hadn't even realized that tears were making their way down her own face. Lottie nodded her head in agreement as Mrs. Roberts pulled them both in for a hug. They sat like that for a few minutes, content to just hold each other in silence and shared pain, before a commotion outside broke the silence. Marlene was up in a flash of anger. Couldn't the people outside _control _themselves? Didn't they know that there was a grieving mother inside who didn't need to worry about things happening outside her front door?

Star watched, torn, as Marlene stomped to the door and swung it wide. She was reluctant to leave Adam though and decided to stay by his side. Marlene turned her attention outside and let out a loud gasp as her eyes took in the scene.

Two officers were holding a struggling person on the ground who was screaming obscenities at them in anger. As she watched, the shrieking figure lashed out with her foot and caught one of them in the stomach, knocking him away from her but the officer was back and pinning her legs down in an instant. A third officer was swinging her arm around in large circles, trying to dislodge a blue blur attached to her as she yelled in pain. The officer's Growlithe looked on helplessly, growling and barking at the blur. Suddenly, the standing officer gave an almighty swing with her arm and the blur was shot across the yard. It hit the wall of the house and slid down it, dazed.

"_CRASH!" _Addy screeched and her thrashing became even more violent but the officers hold was too much. She couldn't break free.

"Growlithe! Use flame wheel!" The officer who had slung the blue Pokemon shouted and her Growlithe started running toward the dazed Pokemon. His body burst into flame and he started spinning rapidly, about to ram it into the side of the house.

_"CRAWDAUNT! USE PROTECT!"_

There was a brilliant flash of white light as a deep red Pokemon appeared. It stood at about three feet tall, taller than the Growlithe who was approaching swiftly. The star on it's head glinted in the sunlight as it yelled, "Craw_daunt!_" and put both of it's pincers in front of it. A shimmering shield erupted from them and formed around him and a second later the Growlithe hit it hard and was thrown away where it skidded in the dirt, leaving a streak in the ground. It stood up, it's pelt now sticking up at odd angles with mud, and crouched down on it's front legs as it glared at the Crawdaunt standing protectively in front of the injured blue Pokemon who was getting unsteadily to its feet.

Marlene turned to see Mrs. Roberts and Lottie standing slightly behind her. They had come to see what was going on when Marlene had gasped and now were staring at the scene with as much anger as Marlene felt. The person under the two officers stopped struggling when she recognized Mrs. Roberts and the two officers were looking pretty proud of themselves before they heard a voice and gulped loudly, looks transforming into shame and horror.

"Just _what_ are you doing, exactly?" The voice started low and dangerous but it grew louder the longer the person talked. "I let you set up in my front yard. I make my Pokemon stay in their Pokeballs so they don't interrupt the investigation. I sit for over two hours in interrogation. I give you free access to my house, my yard, my daughter's room. And this is how I'm repaid? The first time, Detective Parker stopped you before I got here. BUT NOW, I WALK OUT TO YOU PINNING ONE OF MY DAUGHTER'S FRIENDS TO THE GROUND AS YOU ALMOST SET MY HOUSE ON FIRE BY STARTING A POKEMON BATTLE." Mrs. Roberts had pushed her way past Marlene and was approaching the officers. Her face was red from anger and she was screeching so loudly the neighbors the police had sent away were starting to curiously poke their heads out of their doors. Her Crawdaunt still sat in front of Crash, Addy's Pokemon, and he gave a little snort of approval at Mrs. Roberts' words. His eyes flashed dangerously at the Growlithe who started backing towards his trainer slowly.

The officers just stared at the enraged women, mouths gaping like Magikarp, unable to speak. This seemed to anger her even further as she shrieked, "WELL? GET OUT THERE AND _FIND MY DAUGHTER."_

There was a mass scrambling as the officers began rushing around, trying to appear busy to her. Addy got to her feet and attempted to dust herself off, giving the mud on her clothes a look of distaste before transforming her face to look at the officers in smug superiority. Then her eyes turned to watch as Mrs. Roberts whipped around and stalked back into her house, recalling her Crawdaunt as she went. She whispered, "Thank you," to the Pokeball and then was lost inside the house. Addy's face turned sympathetic as she watched but then she saw her Pokemon wobble dangerously and allowed himself to slide to the ground again now that the excitement had passed.

"Crash!" she exclaimed and rushed to his side. He was looking up at her with wide eyes, his blue scales glinting in the sun. His red spikes, splattered with mud and grime, trailed down his back and ended at his swishing tail. He would be okay after some rest but that didn't stop Addy from sliding to her knees next to him.

"Toto totodile!" he said and again tried to get to his feet with a little more strength than before. Addy didn't hesitate to scoop him up in her arms, scolding him lightly as she walked over to Marlene and Lottie.

"Crash! What have I told you about biting people? It's going to get us in even more trouble someday!" Her voice was full of affection though and she looked at the two of them as she explained.

"I was trying to get by these stupid officers," she scowled lightly before continuing. "When one of them decided to be really rude. They wouldn't let me in and they threatened to arrest me when I tried to walk around them. Then Crash here," she gestured to the Pokemon in her arms, "decided it was an oh so smart idea to bite the one doing the insulting. That's what started it all... What? You honestly can't blame me for jumping in when he gets in a tight spot, can you?" she added, seeing Marlene's disapproving look.

Laughing lightly, Marlene shook her head. The whole reason Addy had chosen Crash was because of his biting problem. Nobody wanted a starter who excessively bit his trainer and Crash bit more than most Pokemon of his species did. It was common for a Totodile to bite everything but Crash was a different story. That, combined with the recklessness that gave him his name, made things seem hopeless of Crash ever getting a trainer before Addy showed up. It was a match made in heaven really.

"Crash, you've really got to be more careful than that!" Lottie said. She was also fondly shaking her head. Then Addy piped in again, her voice low as she sobered up.

"Is Lily really gone?"

Marlene and Lottie both turned their heads away, unable to meet her eyes. Addy took this as a yes and her shoulders slumped down, her face taking on a look of pain. She stood there for a moment looking completely lost before Marlene said sympathetically, "Why don't we go inside? Mrs. Roberts still needs us."

Nodding their heads, they followed as Marlene led the way inside.

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><p><strong>(AN): **

**And that's the end of the third chapter! I'm actually really proud of this, I've been touching it up for a couple days now and I think it's the longest one I've written. It was originally going to be two but they were too short to stand alone - so I decided to mold them together. Next chapter we get a little more excitement and although I know it's slow going, they should be starting their journey in two chapters. I just wanted to set up a pretty solid basis for this story instead of just jumping in to the journey. Any critiques help! :)**

**-Thatonebookworm**

**P.S. I've always known I was going to give each of the four main characters a lab starter. My thoughts on this region are that anyone who wants a lab starter has access to them and they can choose to go with one of them or catch a wild Pokemon on their own. But trust me when I say there will be some... interesting additions to the teams later on. **


	5. Into the Water

**(A/N): Because this is my first story, I don't know about the different warnings that should be given at the beginning of a chapter. There is nothing horrible in this chapter - no cursing or blood or gore - but there is a battle and I don't know how harsh a battle has to get before I start warning. I'm sure it's fine but this is my warning. If anyone wants to help me out for the future that would be greatly appreciated.**

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><p>Chapter Four: Into the Water<p>

Later that same day, Marlene sat alone by the river. The ground had mostly dried, thanks to the afternoon sun, but the river still flowed swiftly by. No Pokemon had returned to it and for once, she actually welcomed the silence it entailed. Star was the only other living thing to be seen, nestled at Marlene's side with her head resting gloomily on her front two feet. They sat there in companionable silence, just staring at the rushing water below.

After filling Addy in on the situation, she chose to sit silently staring at the ground, not offering her opinion. It seemed, for once, that she hadn't known how to respond to a situation presented to her. Crash for his part, had tried talking to Adam but had made just as much headway as Star and Jet had which is to say none at all. The whole atmosphere had remained tense and silent, enough to where Marlene finally had to leave or risk her sanity. So she and Star had left Lily's house and walked slowly to the river, kicking stones and scuffing their feet on the ground as they went.

Marlene didn't know what to think. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to take Lily, why anyone would want to cause such pain to people who knew her. But how could this be planned? How could somebody deliberately choose someone as friendly and kind-hearted as Lily and take her? Was this planned? Or had it been someone who just decided that Lily was worth taking?

The second thought made her sick to think about so Marlene immediately shut it down. _No, _she thought determinately. _There was a reason they took her. And the police _will _find her._

But Marlene couldn't help but think of the things they might never get to do again. Would they ever get to stay up late talking about different Pokemon? Or take long walks or train together or just spend time as friends? And then there was always the ever present 'what if' thought, lingering at the back of her mind. What if they never found her? What if they were forced to move on without her? What if, what if, what if...

Marlene shook her head determinately with a little growl. She would not keep thinking like this, there was no point. Star glanced up at her with worry filled eyes, lifting her head and resting it on Marlene's knee. "Cyndaaaa," she cooed softly. Marlene absently reached out her hand to stroke Star's head.

"I just don't understand Star," she said quietly, staring up at the sky as she continued to stroke Star. "Why would they take her? I keep thinking of other things but I always turn back to that. Why?"

"Cynda quil quil," was the reply.

"Thanks Star. You know, I really wish I could understand you sometimes. What was that again?" Marlene said with a little grin. Marlene was extraordinarily close to Star and despite the fact that she could normally guess what Star was saying, she couldn't always tell exactly what Star was trying to tell her. For obvious reasons. Marlene sometimes teased her about this but never too harshly because she couldn't talk to Pokemon either and did she really have the right if it was a two way thing?

"Cyndaquil!" Star huffed and turned her nose away from Marlene. But Marlene saw the joking glitter in her eyes and a moment later they were both laughing quietly. The laugh grew and grew until Marlene was laying on the ground and Star curling in on herself, rocking back and forth with deep rumbling laughs. They laughed and laughed until they finally sat there, staring at the criss-crossing pattern of trees and sky above them, breathing deeply. It hadn't even been that funny - the opposite actually - but it was a change of pace.

"Thanks girl. I needed that."

Then they both sat there together, Marlene with her arms behind her head, Star curled on the grass next to her. It was... content, almost. Companionable. Come what may, Marlene had Star and Star had Marlene. Nothing would change that.

* * *

><p>Marlene first heard the noise very faintly. She couldn't even really tell what it was and at first she suspected a Pokemon. But then Star perked her ears up and rolled over, sniffing the air and Marlene was immediately on alert. Star wouldn't react suspiciously if it was a wild Pokemon or someone they knew. It got progressively louder until Marlene could tell what it was - footfalls and the occasional snap of a twig. The sound of someone who wasn't accustomed to forestry trying to move silently through the undergrowth.<p>

Marlene sat up slowly and surveyed the area but all she could see was trees and bushes. The footsteps stopped abruptly and for a moment all she could hear was the rushing stream of water and the wind rustling the trees overhead. Marlene was just beginning to think that she was imagining things when the footsteps started up again, swifter and more confident and...

_Heading straight for her._

That's when Marlene was jolted into action. She scooped up Star and darted behind one of the trees encircling the clearing, heart beating wildly, Star squirming uncomfortably in her arms. Righting her, Marlene stood and listened as the footsteps once again paused. And then, on the opposite side of the clearing, bushes began rustling violently and someone stepped out, cursing and tugging at its right foot which was caught in a snare of thorns. A deep black Pokemon stepped out behind him, nose to the ground, barbed tail flicking back and forth with silent flicks. It had two sharpened grey horns protruding from its head and three rib-like bands of the same material lining its back. When it emerged into the clearing it stopped sniffing and turned its head skyward, letting out a bone-chilling howl that sent chills racing down Marlene's spine. When it tilted its head back, Marlene could clearly see a... was that a _skull?_

"Did you smell something?" The person said. The man, Marlene could tell it was a man by the voice, was dressed in a black uniform of some sort. Boots strapped up to mid-calf and black gloves shining silver on the back adorned his hands. He had a black hat on covering most of his messed up hair and Marlene could just make out something shining silver on the breast pocket but she was to far away to tell what exactly it was.

The Pokemon took one look at the man and then directed his attention to the trees, growling loudly. Marlene almost gasped aloud. It was staring right at her.

The man laughed lowly before he too directed his attention to the trees. "I know you're there," he said loudly. "Why don't we just make this easy? You come out and I won't send Houndoom in after you, okay?"

Marlene considered her options. She could try and make a run for it. She knew these woods better than most and she could probably travel faster than the man but the Pokemon was another story. It had moved so easily after the man and Marlene could tell it would be able to follow her just fine. She could stay hidden here but that idea was immediately scratched - the Pokemon could scent her and the man now knew she was there. Her only other option was to stand up and fight it out. She had trained with Star, they could do this. They could at least take the Pokemon down or slow it down enough for them to make a break for it. Besides, how did she know that the man was after her specifically?

So, taking a deep breath and giving Star a lingering look, she stepped out from behind the tree.

"Ahhh, there you are. We've been looking for you. The woods aren't the easiest thing to travel in, you know?" He just smiled at her, tilting his head to the side as if studying her and Marlene immediately knew the man was here for her and that there was no mistake in who he was after. The Pokemon - a Houndoom had he called it? - just sat down and stared at her alertly.

"W-what do you want?" She said and instantly cursed herself for the stutter. If she was going to get out of here, she had to go for it. With that thought, she squared her shoulders and stood with her head tilted up, as if daring them to come at her.

"We came for you, obviously. You know, you're not at all what I'd picture you to look like. The way they described you, I thought you'd at least have an evolved starter with you. But I don't even see a Pokebelt or any other Pokeballs on you. Aren't you old enough to have started your journey?" He was still staring at her with that piercing look.

"Who is 'they'?" Marlene said, dodging the age and Pokemon question. The less he knew the better.

But he just stared at her, not answering her question, not even giving her any indication that he had heard her.

"If you must know," she finally decided to continue, "I am old enough to start my journey and will be starting soon. And just because you can't see them at the moment does not mean I don't have Pokeballs on me." This, of course, was a blatant lie. She didn't have anyone but Star on her team and her Pokeball was back at the house.

The man just chuckled lightly and said, "I see. Well I have, unfortunately, been informed not to tell you anything about who 'they' are. They seem to think you might be dangerous but I really don't see where they get that from despite your father -" he trailed off but Marlene's blood had run cold. Her... _father? _The one she hadn't heard from in _years?_ This man _knew him?_

The man seemed to read Marlene's expression because his face turned surprised in an instant. "Oh, I see. You don't know, do you? Just like that other girl. She didn't know about her father either but that didn't stop her from asking all the questions she could. It got quite annoying actually. She won't be asking any questions where she is now." He smiled cruelly on the last part, tilting his head down so it was half shadowed. Marlene was suddenly struck with the realization that this man was someone she _definitely _didn't want to go anywhere with. But something else had caught Marlene's attention.

"Other girl? There was another girl? With a missing father?" _Please, _Marlene thought. _Please, please, please don't be -_

"Yeah some girl, kept a bulbasaur with her," he said without a real interest, waving a hand in the air. "Picked her up last night. You see, they were afraid she would get in the way too."

But Marlene was now only half listening, staring at the man in more horror than she had when she had first found out the man had known her father.

The man took one look at her face and then sudden realization came to him. "I remember now! You _knew _her didn't you! I remember them telling me that you knew her! Oh, but this is perfect! You don't know anything about _anything!_" The cruel grin was back and he actually took a step towards her, the Houndoom standing up and taking a step forward with him. Star immediately jumped out of her arms and landed in front of her, growling sharply, her black blazing up instantly as she glared at them.

"Oh, Houndoom look at that! The little fire-type wants to play!" The man and Houndoom shared a look before they were both laughing again. _For being evil, this man sure likes to laugh a lot, _Marlene thought to herself.

"Cynda cynda quil cyndaquil!" Star screeched, stomping her foot angrily.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," the man said, rubbing a fake tear from his eye. "But you honestly think you, an unevolved starter, can take on Houndoom? That's a laugh! HA!"

Star looked about ready to charge them both, battle or not. But before she could do that, Marlene hissed to her, "Star, you've got to calm down. You can't go into this battle angry. Clear your head." Star took a deep breath and stood tall, still daring the Houndoom to come closer.

"Wait, you're actually serious? You want to battle us? I warn you, the other girl tried. It ended so quickly her mom didn't even know it was happening."

Marlene just stood glaring at the man in anger. This man had taken Lily. This man knew where she was. This man wanted to take her too. And Marlene would not allow that.

"Okay," he said. "If that is what you truly want. Why don't I give you the first move? It's the least I could do with what's about to happen."

Everything stood frozen, suspended for a moment. Then Marlene gave her order.

"Star! Start this off with a Quick Attack!"

Star shot off like a rocket, dodging and weaving invisible attacks, trying to make herself a smaller target just like they had practiced in the past. She was about to crash into the Houndoom's side when the man gave a command.

"Houndoom, blow it away with your Flamethrower." As soon as the battle had started, the man's face had become a blank mask as he watched the battle. He looked calm and collected - the exact opposite of what Marlene felt.

The Houndoom sucked in a big gust of air, it's chest swelling in size, and then in a great fiery blast, he opened his mouth and blew Star away. Star was sent skidding across the clearing where she stood up shakily, giving her fur a quick once-over. Despite the Fire Mouse's fur being mostly fire resistant, it still hurt to take a direct hit like that.

Marlene stifled a gasp and hesitantly asked, "Star? Are you okay?"

"Cynda_quil!"_

At least Star was still standing, Marlene thought as Star stood tall again, ready for round two. The man just watched the exchange with a strange look in his eyes before his mask returned.

"Okay then Star. Use Ember!" Just like the Houndoom, Star sucked in a deep breath and shot tiny embers out of her mouth. They sparked across the clearing but, strangly, the Houndoom just took it head on, not even bothering to dodge the attack. When all the embers had died out, Star stood panting lightly but across the clearing the Houndoom just tilted it's head back and gave a mighty roar of, "_HOUNDOOOOM!"_

_What? _Marlene questioned in confusion. _How could that not have done any damage?_

The man was laughing to himself again, chuckling darkly as he grinned. "Houndoom, flamethrower again!"

_What is he getting at? Star is to far away for him to -_

But the Houndoom just opened his mouth and sprayed a giant, roaring flame, one that was at least two times the size of the last one. Star gave a startled squeak and tried to dive out of the way but the edge of the flame caught her in one of her back legs. She landed heavily and stood, keeping her weight mostly off her back right leg.

This was getting dangerous, fast. With flames like that the Houndoom could easily set the forest on fire. She had to finish this. But Star was hurt and the Houndoom was looking impossibly uninjured...

"Okay Star, we have to end this. Put everything you have into it! Use your Flame Wheel!"

They had been working on Star's Flame Wheel for over a month, trying to get her aim up and making it as powerful as possible. This would be a test of all that work.

Star shot off, slower than normal due to her hind leg. But she stretched herself forwards, tumbling into a ball and engulfing herself in flames. She gained speed as she went rolling faster and faster and faster towards the Houndoom who just stood there, watching the oncoming flame...

"Houndoom, again with your Flamethrower!"

Once again the Flamethrower came shooting towards Star. But this time, it just added fuel to Star's fire, giving her Flame Wheel extra momentum. Marlene shot the man a triumphant look before she saw his face mirror hers.

"You shouldn't have done that! Houndoom, Smog and then Flamethrower!"

Immediately a layer of dark purplish-black ink covered the area. Star, who had almost been upon the Houndoom, was lost in the darkness instantly. Marlene began coughing, the smoke making her eyes water as she tried to wave it away from her face. She covered her mouth and nose with an arm in an attempt to block the smoke and squeezed her eyes tight, wishing for it to go away. It seemed like forever before a gust of wind came along that was strong enough to lift the smog.

And what she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.

The Houndoom stood in victory, one foot smashed into Star's back as she lay, coughing and gasping, under him. Her fire had gone out and she had burn marks on her nearly-impossible-to-burn fur. The man stood in the same spot, a mask pulled up and over his face to block the smog as he stood smugly with his arms crossed. Once he was sure the smog was gone, he lowered the mask and took a step towards the two Pokemon. Marlene stepped forward too, ready to stop him, but the man just wagged a finger at her and said, "Nu-uh," as the Houndoom put a little more pressure on her. She gave a little squeak and Marlene immediately halted, putting her hands in the air in surrender.

The man walked forward and swung Star up by one of her hind legs (Marlene noticed it was not the one Star had hurt). Star instantly began to struggle, twisting and turning, lighting her back up, trying to break free. But the man had an iron grip on her and his gloved hand seemed to not even flinch at the fire as he walked with her over to the swiftly moving river.

"Now," he began and, to Marlene's complete and utter horror, he swung her out and over the water. "I realize, having a fire Pokemon myself, that they do not do well in water. Nasty business, water. When it comes to fire-types that is. So I suggest you come with me. I'll even spare your Pokemon! If she can survive the river, that is. Oh, come on now," he added for Marlene was staring at him in revulsion and panic, trying to think of something she could do to stop him. "I let the bulbasaur go without any harm and I almost got caught. You can't honestly believe I would make the same mistake twice? If she can survive, she can live. I won't technically be harming her, it'll be the elements, won't it?"

Marlene gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. No this couldn't be happening. Star might survive the river in normal weather but not with the way the rain had overflowed it. No, no, no, no, no...

But Marlene couldn't think of a way out of it. She couldn't let anything happen to Star though. So she opened her mouth and said, "I'll go with you. Willingly even. I won't try and escape, I'll go with you. Just... don't hurt her. Don't drop her in the water. Let her go."

The man seemed to ponder this for a moment. Then he replied, "She said the same thing, you know. And I allowed it. But now I have the police on my tail a lot sooner than I anticipated. I was supposed to have both of you before they showed. They won't find her. They won't find you."

And then he turned his attention to Star and Marlene saw him hesitate for half a second before his face hardened and Marlene saw his hand slacken -

"NO WAIT I-"

Marlene was cut off by a shape blocking out the sun, throwing the clearing in shadow. There was a great angry cry of something unidentifiable - it was so loud that Marlene couldn't tell what it was saying. The thing stayed suspended in midair for a moment before it dived straight down, giving another cry of anger and making the man pause, Star still dangling in his arm as he watched in surprise. Then he snapped out of it and yelled, "Houndoom, Flamethrower, NOW!"

The Houndoom gave an intense blast of fire, the ball roaring up to meet the great flying beast but the creature easily dodged, white streamers flowing off of it's glowing wings. It rammed into the Houndoom and sent it flying into a tree where it slithered to the ground with a grunt. The Bird Pokemon - Marlene knew that much for sure - gave another great cry and angled towards the man, zooming towards him with a speed Marlene had never seen before. It was practically on top of the man when it veered up at a 90 degree angle, flying upwards sharply as if it didn't want to really hurt the man just make him drop Star. The Pokemon got it's wish as the man stumbled backwards, arms pinwheeling behind him, Star flying from his grip...

...and landing in the river.

"_STAR!" _Marlene shrieked and without any hesitation, with the flying Pokemon now flapping it's wings angrily in the man's face, with the man swatting at her savior, with the man calling to his Houndoom for help, she dove in after Star.

She was immediately submerged, roaring water rushing over her head, twigs and other debris pelting her. She kicked wildly to the surface and emerged, gasping, shouting, "Star! Where are you?" A second later she was hit from behind by a particularly large branch and was sent tumbling under again. She opened her eyes and attempted to see any sort of blue or cream fur but she couldn't see anything in the murky darkness. She kicked her way to the surface again, twisting and turning to try and find Star but still getting hit in all directions with branches and rocks and -

_Rocks._

"Star if you can hear me _get to the rocks!"_

Marlene then attempted to catch on to one herself. The next one she came across she was slammed into roughly but she threw out an arm, latching it on to the rock and attempting to hoist herself up slightly. Catching her breath for a second, she glanced around, starting to panic because she couldn't see any sign of Star and the river was moving so swiftly she could be anywhere downstream now_. _And then Marlene heard the most glorious sound ever coming from her right, downstream, so faint she wasn't sure at first but then it came again, and again, and again.

"Cyndaaaaaaaa!"

"I hear you Star, I'm coming!" Then taking a deep breath, Marlene abandoned the rock, kicking off in the direction of one a little further downstream. She caught herself on it and then she kicked off of that one to another one. Marlene hopped from rock to rock, carefully making her way down the river and towards the voice of her cyndaquil. There was a terrifying moment when Marlene jumped to catch the next rock and a branch hit her in the arm, making it miss the rock and almost causing her to tumble downstream. But Marlene lashed out with her other arm and even her legs, pulling herself into the rock next to it, cradling her arm to her chest. She stopped after this to catch her breath and survey her surroundings.

And then she saw Star.

Her cyndaquil was clinging to a rock as best she could with her stubby arms, the water trying to drag her down. Her eyes were closed tightly in terror as she scrabbled at the rock.

"Star, I'm almost there! Almost! Just hold on!" There was a three rock hop to get to Star, she just had to hold on until Marlene could get there. But Marlene was getting tired and her clothes were dragging her down, soaking wet and clinging to her. Her hair was plastered to her face but she could do nothing about that as her right arm was still clutched to her side, her left arm holding the rock.

Marlene braced herself and then kicked off the rock. She hit the next one well enough and even the one after that. The third one however, she hit an underground rock harshly with her knee and it spun her off course - Marlene was forced to reach out with her right arm and catch herself on the rock, hissing at the sharp pain.

Star was now only one rock away and Marlene determinately kicked off the last one, reaching for the rock -

And then Marlene and Star were both together with the water beating at them as Marlene held Star close and Star wrapped her arms around Marlene's neck. Marlene took a moment to just hold her Pokemon in relief, Star shaking harshly against her. But they weren't out of the rough waters yet, quite literally, and Marlene set to tracing a path to the shore.

That was when they encountered their next problem. This far down in the river, the riverbanks were made up of steeply sloping, muddy sides. It would be impossible to climb out of them - she could easily slip and fall back in. Going upstream was out of the question, Marlene could barely control going downstream. Continuing on downstream seemed the best option.

So Marlene, with Star clinging tightly to her, continued her hopscotching down the river.

Marlene instantly discovered that moving downstream without the complete use of her right arm (which was now wrapped around Star for fear that they'd be separated again) and with the added weight of her cyndaquil proved much harder than when she had tried to move by herself. They slammed into the rocks more harshly and slipped way too often for Marlene's comfort. There was one particular instance where Marlene almost missed one of the rocks and instinctively reached out with her right arm. Star came loose for half a second before her grip tightened in a chokehold around Marlene's neck. Gasping, Marlene grabbed the rock and swung her right arm back around to Star, who loosened her grip enough for Marlene to breath. Then they continued on until finally, miraculously, Marlene saw the banks leveling out. It got to the point where Marlene decided to try climbing out and, spotting the root to a tree halfway submerged in the water, shot towards that instead of the next rock.

Clinging to the branch now, Marlene trusted Star to hold on without choking her as she used her right arm for balance, pulling herself along until they were both lying on the bank of the river, panting heavily, shivering in the wind. Star whimpered slightly as she clung to Marlene and they both sat there for a few minutes holding onto each other in relief before Marlene realized just how cold they were with the wind biting at their exposed skin. Then, standing shakily to her feet, her right arm going numb in the cold, Star clinging to her left arm with no intention of letting go anytime soon, Marlene started the long journey home.

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><p><strong>(AN):**

**And that is it for this chapter! I've finally got a pretty solid plan for this story laid out and I'm extremely excited to see what direction it'll go in. Please, if you liked it let me know! If you didn't like it let me know! I'd like to hear any opinions!**

**-Thatonebookworm**


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